2016/06/15 by Zhongwen Wu, Z. W. Wu, A. V. Volotka +3
Chemistry · Physics and Astronomy · #Advanced Chemical Physics Studies #Atomic and Molecular Physics #Atomic physics #Chemistry #Excited state #Fluorescence #Laser #Linear polarization #Optics #Photochemistry and Electron Transfer Studies #Photoexcitation #Physics #Polarization (electrochemistry) #physics.atom-ph
paper · pdf · doi:10.1103/physreva.93.063413
published as Physical Review A 93, 063413 (2016) · 9 pages, 7 figures
openalex publication_date 2016/06/15 · arxiv created 2016/06/21 · arxiv updated 2016/06/22 · openalex created_date 2016/06/24 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/05
The angular distribution and linear polarization of the fluorescence light following the resonant photoexcitation is investigated within the framework of density matrix and second-order perturbation theory. Emphasis has been placed on ``signatures'' for determining the level sequence and splitting of intermediate (partially) overlapping resonances, if analyzed as a function of photon energy of incident light. Detailed computations within the multiconfiguration Dirac--Fock method have been performed, especially for the 1s22s22p63s,\phantom\rule4pt0exJi=1/2+\ensuremathγ1\ensuremath→(1s22s2p63s)13p3/2,\phantom\rule4pt0exJ=1/2,3/2\ensuremath→1s22s22p63s,\phantom\rule4pt0exJf=1/2+\ensuremathγ2 photoexcitation and subsequent fluorescence emission of atomic sodium. A remarkably strong dependence of the angular distribution and linear polarization of the \ensuremathγ2 fluorescence emission is found upon the level sequence and splitting of the intermediate (1s22s2p63s)13p3/2,\phantom\rule4pt0exJ=1/2,3/2 overlapping resonances owing to their finite lifetime (linewidth). We therefore suggest that accurate measurements of the angular distribution and linear polarization might help identify the sequence and small splittings of closely spaced energy levels, even if they cannot be spectroscopically resolved.